Encore: My year in Japan, in stillness and silence

2026-07-14

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Travel writer Pico Iyer was at the peak of his career when an accidental layover at Narita airport saw him begin to question everything.Pico began flying around the world solo at the age of nine.His parents lived in America and he had become a boarder at the Dragon School in Oxford.To get to school and from school he took several flights each year alone.The formative experience of travel stayed with him, and he grew up to become a journalist and travel writer for Time Magazine.Further...

Travel writer Pico Iyer was at the peak of his career when an accidental layover at Narita airport saw him begin to question everything.

Pico began flying around the world solo at the age of nine.

His parents lived in America and he had become a boarder at the Dragon School in Oxford.

To get to school and from school he took several flights each year alone.

The formative experience of travel stayed with him, and he grew up to become a journalist and travel writer for Time Magazine.

Further information

This episode of Conversations was first broadcast in 2020.

Autumn Light: a season of Fire and Farewells is published by Bloomsbury.

This episode was produced by Nicola Harrison. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney.

To binge even more great episodes of the 'Conversations podcast' with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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